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Eagle recovery continues

A young bald eagle shot in the wing earlier this month has a bad attitude, which is a good thing.

Jaye Moore, director of the Northwest Raptor and Wildlife Center, said the bird is getting ornery, loud and feisty, which all are signs of recovery.
The bird was found shot in the wing on Wednesday, Dec. 15, near Beaver. Authorities believe it was shot by a .22 caliber gun and the Washington State Department of Fish and Wildlife is searching for the shooter.
“He’s getting loud and giving us hell when we approach,” Moore said of the eagle. “That shows he’s starting to feel a little better.”
Moore said after they nearly lost the bird on Dec. 20, they took a slow approach to treating it. They have cleaned, treated and bandaged his wounded wing, she said.
The center’s public relations director Matthew Randazzo said the eagle’s long-term prognosis is still unknown.
“We’re waiting to see if the eagle can heal itself and naturally bridge the fracture in the ulna bone in his left wing,” said Randazzo. “Even if he can, there’s no telling yet what damage has been done to the wing’s tendon, muscle and surrounding soft tissue. We won’t know if he can fly or be released for a long time.”
Tips leading to the arrest of the person who shot the eagle can be sent to Matthew@NWRaptorCenter.com or called to the Washington State Department of Fish and Wildlife at 877-933-9847.

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